Tortilla Soup

Jump to Comments

I originally got this recipe out of The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. However, I have somewhat tweaked our version. I use a cooking spray instead of oil and surprisingly I like the taste of the soup better. And instead of using a jalapeno chile, I just sprinkle in a few dashes of crushed red pepper flakes. I also cook the chicken in a separate pan with complimentary seasonings. It speeds up the process, especially when I let the chicken simmer on low heat throughout the day. I then use the broth created from the boiling chicken as part of the necessary 8 cups the recipe calls for. Finally, I put the chicken back into the broth instead of layering it separately.

Here is the original recipe, though.

Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use cooking spray)

1 onion, minced

1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 cups chicken broth

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use chicken tenders)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (can use the bottled version)

tortilla chips

3 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 ripe avocados, pitted and cut

1/2 cup whole fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, jalapeno, chili powder and garlic. Cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and simmer, partially covered, until no longer pink, about 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. Continue to simmer the broth for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken. Remove the broth from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Divide portions of the tortilla chips, shredded chicken, tomatoes and avocados among individual bowls. Ladle the broth over each bowl and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Serve, passing any extra tomatoes, avocados, tortilla chips and cilantro separately.

Bon appetit!

For the health conscious and portion size seekers: One serving is slightly less than 2 cups of soup (with chicken included in the broth), 1/4 of an avocado and the number of tortilla chips depends on the brand.

8 Comments

Filed under Cooking, Menu Plan Monday, Recipe